14/07/2012 15:08

YOUR pet is almost 25% more likely to go missing in summer than winter, according to Petlog, the UK’s largest lost and found pet database.

20,000 more pets were reported missing to the Petlog database in summer rather than winter since the turn of the Millennium, and last year alone, over 3,000 more pets (29%) went missing in June, July and August than during January, February and December.

Thankfully many of these pets will have been reunited with their owners as, because they were registered with the Petlog database, they were all microchipped. Petlog has over 6.2 million pets registered on its database, but millions more pets remain un-chipped. In fact, it is estimated that only 58% of dogs are microchipped, and the number is thought to be less for cats, rabbits and other pets.

Celia Walsom, Petlog Executive, said: “It is worrying that so many more pets go missing in summer rather than winter, which is why it really is vital that pet owners take action now and make sure that if their pet goes missing they have done everything they can to find them again.

“Microchips are a fantastic tool to reunite lost pets with their owners, as they are permanent. It doesn’t matter when or where missing pets are found; they can still be returned to their owners. We have had some fantastic stories where pets have been reunited several years after going missing.

“However, contact details must be kept up to date to help do this. When people move, change number or email, they should immediately update their information on the microchip database otherwise they risk not being reunited with their lost pet.”